My Bittersweet Summer
by x-StayRossome-x
Summary: When Ally has to stay with her aunt, uncle, and 6 adopted cousins for the summer, she is far from happy. But when she begins to fall for one of her cousins; Austin, things begin to get a little bit complicated. Review/Favourite/Follow! Give it a try!
1. My Bittersweet Summer Starts

**Hey guys! I know what you're probably thinking; another story?! Well, as I have said before, if I get an idea, I have to write it down. Plus, having so many stories to update gives me something to do. Also, in this story, any review responses will be at the bottom instead of at the top.**

**Check out mine and EclareFanFictioner14's new story, 'A 'Love'ly Secret'. It is on her profile:)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin & Ally**

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Chapter 1

I wander home from school, letting the soft summer breeze hit my face gently. Summer is finally here! No school, just relaxing and reading. I always love those hot summer nights out in the garden lying in a hammock, and reading a good book. To me, that is so much better than going to some party on the beach surrounded by drunk teenagers.

For the rest of the walk home, all I think about is how amazing this summer is going to be. Last summer, I got stuck working at Sonic Boom, but not this time. My dad has promised that I don't have to work all summer; which is obviously great.

When I get home, I open my front door, and walk into my house. I close the door, the sound of it shutting echoing around the house. I fling my bag off of my shoulder, not caring where it lands. I mean, it's not like I'm going to need it for a while anyway.

I sigh, loving the feeling of knowing that I won't have to get up early tomorrow, or have to write an essay or something. It feels nice not having to worry. That's what I love about summer.

The first thing I do is take a shower. I decide to make it a cool shower, and what a good choice it is. As I step into the shower, the cold water instantly hits my skin, cooling me down. I just stand there for a few minutes, loving the feeling of the refreshingly cold water on my skin. Just by looking at me, you can tell that I have caught the sun quite a bit, so having cool water hitting my warm skin, is quite invigorating.

Once I have stepped out of the shower, I change into a pair of shorts and a tank top; before putting my hair up into a messy bun. I look at myself in the mirror; I have to actually tan this summer.

I sigh. I love the word 'summer'. Okay, summer may have it's down sides; like the beach, and feeling the need to wear bikinis, but summer also has it's up sides. I mean, the feeling of the sun on your face, or being able to relax are all good things.

"Ally?" I hear my dad call from downstairs.

"Yeah?" I reply, loving my new positive energy.

"Can you come down here for a second?"

"Sure!" I reply, before running downstairs. He is standing in the kitchen, smiling at me. "What's going on?" I ask him, confused. He looks.. nervous.

"I have been asked to attend another convention in Ohio."

"So, when do you leave?" I ask him, not liking where this is going. I mean, he would never let me stay here alone for an entire summer.

"Tomorrow," he answers, slowly.

"What?! So where am I going to go for the summer?" I ask him, clearly annoyed.

"Well, your Aunt Mimi has offered to have you," he tells me.

"Oh, great," I reply, sarcastically of course. You see, my Aunt Mimi has 6 children. She adopts them because her and her husband, Mike are unable to have kids. And I don't like going round there; that's why I haven't seen them in about 4 years. It's just, me being an only child makes being with 6 teenagers kind of weird. I'm not used to having to share the bathroom, or debating on what to watch on TV.

"Don't be like that. They are all looking forward to seeing you!" my dad exclaims, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah right! Who told you that? Mimi? She is obviously making that up to seem polite!"

"You don't know that! There will be no more talking about this; you are going, and that's final! You better start packing," he states, before walking off to the living room.

I sigh. There is no way I am getting out of this. There goes my perfect, relaxing summer! My dad just had to go and ruin it, didn't he? The only good thing about my aunt, uncle and cousins, is that they live in Miami as well; meaning I can still hang out with my friends and stuff. Every time they ask if we want to go over to their house or something, we always tell them we can't. You see, we have sort of made up this lie that we live in Australia, so travelling to see them would be pointless almost.

I guess all there is to do now is pack. Great. I slump upstairs, all enthusiasm lost, and begin packing. Tops, short, jackets in case it gets cold, the usual summer stuff really.

Once I am done, I place my full suitcase and travel bags by my bed. I bet they're all going to ask about Australia as well, meaning I am going to have to lie. And I can't lie. What a fun summer this is going to be. Note the sarcasm.

* * *

"You ready?" my dad asks, as I lazily get into the car.

"Yep," I reply, popping the 'p'. He looks to the back of the car, making sure we have everything we need. As soon as he drops me off, he is heading straight to the airport.

After checking everything, my dad starts the engine, before driving off; after buckling in our seat belts of course.

The drive is silent obviously. I am still pretty mad at my dad for making me go to the Moons' for the summer, or as I have been told to call them; my aunt, uncle, and cousins.

"How long until we get there?" I ask my dad, breaking the awkward silence.

"About half an hour," he tells me, not looking away from the road.

"Great," I sigh, leaning against the window. Right now, I could be eating a nutritious cereal bar while catching up on some reading, but no. I am being forced to visit; no stay, with 8 people who I haven't seen in about 4 years, for the whole summer.

I decide to turn on some music, hoping that maybe listening to it will whisk away my troubles for a while. I know I haven't really got 'troubles' per say, but to me, this isn't exactly my idea of luxury either.

_All I wanna do,_ _is hang with you,_

_Everyday,_

_In summer shade,_

_All I wanna do,_

_Is be with you, be with you,_

_Oh yeah_ **(1)**

I turn it off. Why are the songs suddenly about summer?! Oh right, because it is summer. Well, it doesn't really feel like it anymore. I can just imagine all of my friends doing what they want all summer long; while I am stuck in some stuffy house, listening to 6 teenagers fighting with eachother. Yeah, that sounds awesome! Again, note the sarcasm.

The rest of the ride is quiet, with only my dad's low humming to fill the silence. Half of the time, all I want to do is tell him to quit with the humming, but that would just get me told off.

"We're here," my dad states, before turning off the engine, and getting out of the car.

"Great," I mumble, rolling my eyes, before getting out of the car as well.

My dad hands me my luggage, before he knocks on the door. It is about 5 seconds until a blonde-haired, perky woman opens the door, smiling widely at us.

"Lester!" she exclaims, hugging him happily. He hugs back, chuckling at his sister's enthusiasm. They pull away from the hug, before she smiles at me. "Ally! Haven't you grown!" she beams, before hugging me as well. I awkwardly hug back, saying a quick 'hello'.

"Well, be good Ally! I will see you later. Love you," he hugs me quickly.

"Bye, love you too," I reply, before he walks off to the car, and drives away.

"Come on in!" Mimi smiles, letting me through. I smile gratefully at her, before walking past. "Everyone come down here! Ally has arrived!" Mimi calls upstairs to the others. After about a few seconds, I hear loud thumping coming from the stairs. I just stand here awkwardly, waiting for them to make their way down the stairs. Once they are all standing in front of me, Mimi smiles at all of us.

They all look different; more grown up. Well, duh Ally! I haven't seen them for 4 years, of course they have grown up. I look at them one by one. I still remember them all, obviously. There's Rocky, Rydel, Ratliff, Riker, Ryland, and Austin. I heard from my dad that all of them are all brother and sister, except for Austin; who came from a separate family. Mike and Mimi adopted the 5 siblings first, before deciding to adopt Austin as well. It's funny though, Austin does look like them quite a bit.

"Come on boys; help Ally with her bags!" Mike instructs, walking from in the kitchen. "Hi Ally," he greets warmly, smiling at me.

"Hi Mike," I reply, trying to sound as polite as possible. Rocky, Riker, and Ratliff all take my bags for me, taking them to the spare guest room. Austin and Ryland go off somewhere, not even bothering to say a quick 'hello'. Mike and Mimi also go off into the kitchen to start on lunch.

"Don't mind them, they're boys." Rydel chuckles, walking up to me. I just nod and smile in response. "I can tell you don't really want to be here, and I don't blame you! This house can get pretty crazy, but you'll get used to it," she assures me.

"It's going to be pretty weird living with 8 people when I normally only live with my dad!" I tell her.

"It'll be fine. Imagine having to live with 5 brothers! At least we have eachother for shopping and stuff!" she exclaims, excitedly.

"Yeah!" I smile. At least I have Rydel to hang out with.

"Do you want me to help you unpack?" she asks me.

"Uh, if you want to," I shrug, smiling.

"It's not a problem!" And with that, we walk off to my new room for the summer, talking about something that happened at her school the other day.

Once we get to the guest room, I look around. There is a single bed; neatly made, a chest of drawers, a bedside table, a lamp, and a desk.

Me and Rydel begin unpacking, making small talk as we do. All in all, it was a pretty fun time unpacking my things. Maybe having Rydel as a friend won't be so bad.

After we have finished unpacking, we sit in Rydel's room, and watch _Magic Mike_ **(2)**.

"What's it like living in Australia?" Rydel suddenly asks.

"What?" I reply, confused for a second, before I catch on. "Oh yeah, it's good," I answer, trying to act as nonchalant as possible.

"You don't seem to have an Australian accent," she points out.

"Yeah. I never really socialised much, so I didn't really manage to get an Australian accent," I lie, and she nods in understanding; which is good. I've always been pretty bad at lying, but I guess since my dad has told them that we have lived in Australia for 4 years, they believe it.

Halfway through the movie, Riker walks in to tell us that lunch is ready.

"Why are you watching this?" he asks us.

"Because Channing Tatum and Alex Pettyfer are in it!" Rydel states.

"Whatever. Lunch is ready," he tells us, before walking out.

We giggle to eachother, before following Riker down to the kitchen.

"Hello you two. Ally, have you unpacked everything?" Mimi asks me, whilst placing a plate of sandwiches down onto the table for me. I sit down, smiling gratefully at her, before speaking up.

"Yes, Rydel helped." Rydel nods in confirmation, before tucking into her sandwich.

"Good." Mimi nods, before eating her lunch.

I place my napkin onto my lap, before sipping my water; making all of the boys stare at me like I have two heads.

"What?" I ask them, confused.

"What are you doing?" Austin questions.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, why don't you just eat your sandwich?" Rocky inquires, quizzically.

"Don't you place your napkin on your lap?" I ask them.

"No," they all reply in unison.

"They would need manners for that." Mimi jokes, causing all of the boys to roll their eyes. "Carry on dear," she tells me. I smile at her, before grabbing my knife and fork, and cutting into my sandwich. Of course that earns a few more stares. Sandwiches can be quite messy, plus my dad told me to be polite. I don't want to be a burden on Mike and Mimi.

After everyone is done eating, the boys all run off again to watch the latest sports game on TV, while Rydel goes to paint her nails. Me on the other hand, I stay put.

"Would you like some help washing up?" I offer to Mimi.

"No dear, it's fine. but thank you for the offer!" she replies.

"No really, I would be happy to help!" I tell her, while handing her some plates to wash up.

"Oh, well thank you Ally!" she beams, before we both wash up the dishes.

Afterwards, I head into the lounge, where everyone is intently watching TV.

"What're you watching?" I ask them.

"Football," they all reply in sync, not even taking their eyes off of the screen. I just decide to go to my room, not really wanting to watch football. A loud cheer from the living room causes me to jump.

Rydel comes out of her room seconds later, wearing a jacket.

"Where are you going?" I ask her.

"To the cinema with some friends. Do you want to come?"

"No, it's fine," I politely decline. She just nods, before walking off.

I sigh, and enter my room, plopping down onto the bed. I grab my songbook/diary from the bedside table, and open it to a fresh page. I scramble around in one of the drawers for a pen, and luckily, there is one.

_Dear Songbook/Diary,_

_I have arrived. I have been forced by my dad to stay with my aunt, uncle, and cousins for the summer. I don't think I've ever really written about them before._

_Well, I have 6 cousins; Rocky, Austin, Rydel, Ratliff, Riker, and Ryland. 5 boys, and 1 girl. They were all adopted by my aunt, Mimi and uncle, Mike about 10 or so years ago. Riker, Rocky, Rydel, Ratliff, and Ryland are all from the same family, so they were adopted together. Austin however, he was an only child before being adopted._

_I have made friends with Rydel; she is cool. I mean, she understands that I don't want to be here, and knows what it's like living with 7 other people. She has been giving me some tips for surviving in this house for the summer. But she is out with her friends now, so I decided to write in here for a bit._

_To be honest, I have no idea what I am going to do for a whole summer here, but I guess I will just have to go with the flow. Okay, that sounded really lame... Especially coming from me._

_Love always,_

_Ally xx_

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**I thought I'd add all of Ross' siblings in this one:) I also decided to end every chapter with a diary entry.**

**Review/Favourite/Follow**

**Stay Rossome!**

**(1) I don't own ****_Summer Shade_**** by Cody Simpson.**

**(2) I don't own ****_Magic Mike_****.**


	2. Milk Can Help In More Ways Than One

**Review responses are at the bottom! I am in the process of updating some other stories, but I don't want to rush them!:) Also, review responses will be at the bottom. I just want to say, that this story is one of my main focuses right now. I want to try to complete this at a high standard, instead of rushing it, so sorry for any long waits in between chapters.**

**I re-uploaded this because I forgot the diary entry at the bottom and I wanted to make a few grammatical adjustments.**

**I am also focusing on my one-shot collection, and 'The Boy in Room 213'.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Austin & Ally**

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Chapter 2

The beach. That place where you get covered in sand, and are surrounded by shark-infested water; also known as the sea. Okay, I may be exaggerating quite a bit, but that is just how I feel. And guess what? That is where we are going today! Mike and Mimi insisted that since we are family, that we should spend some quality time together.

I sigh, grabbing my towel, before slipping on my flip flops. I have decided on wearing shorts and a top, instead of a bikini. I just don't suit them. If I went out wearing one, I would completely humiliate myself. People tell me that I do look good in them, but to be honest, I just don't have the self-confidence to pull it off.

I walk downstairs, making everyone stare at me simultaneously.

"Why are you wearing shorts?" Rydel asks me, confused.

"What should I be wearing?" I question.

"A bikini!" Rydel states, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Uh.. I don't feel comfortable in bikinis really..." I reply, awkwardly.

"Why?" Riker asks, confused.

"Because, I just don't feel comfortable in them," I shrug, feeling very uncomfortable now.

"Alright. If you don't go now, there will be no good spaces left!" Mimi interrupts, smiling at me. I smile back, gratefully. Everyone races out the door, and into the minivan that Ratliff drives.

I get into the back, sitting next to Ryland and Austin. Once everyone is in and buckled up, Riker shuts the doors, and we drive off to the beach. Yay. Note the sarcasm.

I sigh, and fidget it in my seat. Ryland is playing on some sort of game on his phone, and Austin is strumming his guitar softly. Wait, guitar?

"You play guitar?" I ask Austin, suddenly intrigued.

He turns to me, stopping his strumming. "Yeah," he smiles.

"Awesome! I love music. I play piano, but I've always wanted to learn the guitar," I ramble, turning red as I realise how much I am actually talking.

He chuckles, "Well, I could teach you?" he offers, shrugging.

"Really?" I ask him, excitedly.

"Yeah. We have the whole summer, so why not spend it musically?" he smiles, genuinely.

"Thanks," I beam, happily.

"No problem,"hHe shrugs, nonchalantly.

The rest of the ride to the beach is less awkward than I thought it was going to be. Me and Austin talk about music, and Rydel tells me about all of the best shops to go to here. Obviously, I try and act like I have never really heard of them, trying my best to keep up the whole 'lived in Australia for 4 years' thing.

"We're here!" Ratliff exclaims, making everyone in the car cheer in excitement.

"Yay..." I weakly acclaim.

"Don't tell me you're not excited for the beach?!" Ryland questions, causing everyone to turn their heads in shock towards me.

"It's just.." I pause while they all stare at me, expectantly. "It's just that the sand goes everywhere, and especially when you go in the water! I mean, it hurts when you try to rub the sand off of you with a towel. Also, the sea can be a scary place! People go to the toilet in there, and it is full of unknown creatures of the deep!" I ramble on.

"Woah, calm down," Rocky states, instantly making me shut up.

"Sorry.." I mumble, looking down embarrassed. "You guys go on without me. I've just completely freaked myself out; I don't think I can go out there.." I tell them. It's not that I hate the beach per say, but it definitely isn't my most favourite place in the world.

"We can't just leave you here," Rydel sighs. Great, just great. I have managed to ruin everyone else's fun, as well as my own.

"Yeah you can. Go and have fun!" I smile, trying to lighten the sad mood a bit.

"No!" Austin states, firmly. Everyone turns to him. "No person gets left behind."

"What do you-" Before I can even finish my sentence, Austin has me over his shoulder, and is carrying me out of the minivan.

"Go! Go! Go!" He yells to everyone else, as they all scramble out of the van. Austin is now running down towards the beach, making my head hit against his back repeatedly.

"You're going to enjoy the beach, whether you like it or not! If you are going to survive this summer, you need to learn one thing; we all love the beach, and now you do too!" Austin states, whilst running.

"You can't force me to love the beach!" I exclaim, my voice shaking because of Austin's running.

"I can try!" His comment makes me roll my eyes.

Austin suddenly comes to a halt, making my head 'thump' against his back one final time. I can see the others' feet run across the sand, laying down towels for everyone. Austin drops me down onto one, smirking down at me afterwards.

"That was not funny!" I state, trying to seem serious; however I can't help the smile that spreads across my face, and the giggle that escapes my lips.

"You don't seem so sure about that," he winks, before running off to the sea with the other boys. Rydel on the other hand, lies down beside me on a separate towel, and places her sunglasses over her eyes.

"The beach isn't so bad, especially when all you do is tan," she tells me, before lying down. I copy her actions, before slowly drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

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My eyes drift open, revealing Riker, Austin, and Rocky staring down at me, stifling a chuckle.

"What?" I ask them, confused.

"Look in the mirror," Rocky tells me, smirking.

Rydel hands me a small pocket mirror, and when I open it, I do not like what I see at all.

"What happened?!" I shriek, sitting up.

"I guess you forgot to apply some sun block," Austin replies, before bursting out into a fit of laughter; the other boys mimicking Austin's actions of laughter a few seconds after.

"It's not that bad.." Rydel tells me softly, holding back a cringe. Yep, it's that bad. I have marks where my sunglasses were, and my whole body is bright red and painful. I sorely stand up, dusting my self off and squinting in pain when I touch a part of sun-burnt skin.

"This is another reason why I hate the beach! Nothing but trouble," I exclaim, before huffing and walking off. Everyone follows, trying to reassure me that it isn't that bad. Obviously, they are lying.

"Seriously Ally, it suits you," Austin smiles, not genuinely of course. His comment sends everyone into yet another fit of laughter.

I roll my eyes, "This is all your fault! If you hadn't of carried me to that.. that place!"

"It's not my fault that you forgot to protect your skin," he shrugs, defensively.

"Whatever..." I mumble, and decide to just stay quiet for the rest of the ride home.

When we finally get back, everyone jumps out of the van, before entering the house.

Mimi gasp when she lays her eyes upon me, "What happened?!"

"I think it's pretty obvious mom," Riker remarks, smirking.

"It's not funny! Sunburn is painful!" Mimi exclaims, rushing over to me. "Are you alright Ally?" I just shrug in response. I'm not really in the mood for talking.

"There's got to be a way to get rid of this," Mike utters.

"There is! Come with me Ally!" Mimi instructs, hurrying me up the stairs. She tells me to stay where I am, while she goes downstairs to get something. When she comes back up, I am confused by what she has in her hand; a carton of milk.

"What is that for?" I ask her, quizzically.

"I read somewhere that a way to get rid of sunburn is to bathe in milk **(1),**" she replies, pouring the whole carton into the bathtub.

"I think you're going to need more than that," I tell her, looking at the tiny puddle of milk in the bath.

"I know; I have gotten Mike to go down to the shops and get some more," she assures me, smiling.

"Oh, okay." And with that, me and Mimi sit down; me on the toilet seat, and her on the edge of the bath, and wait for Mike to come in with some milk. That is something I never thought I would say.

He arrives 10 minutes later, hurriedly handing us about 20 more cartons of milk, before rushing downstairs again. Mimi pours them into the bath, evidently proud once she has managed to fill most of the bath up with milk.

"There you go," she smiles, handing me a towel for when I get out, and walks to the door. "Oh, you have to stay in there for a few hours. I will tell you when you can come out." And with that, she walks out, closing the door behind her. I lock it, before undressing, and stepping into the cool liquid. After a while, the sting manages to ease quite a bit, and I can finally relax a bit more.

"Ally, you can come out now," Mimi shouts from the other side of the door.

"Okay, thanks." I yell back, happily. Has it really been that long already?

I step out of the bath, and wrap the towel Mimi left for me around my body. I decide to empty the bath, and take a quick, proper bath with water this time. I wait for the bath to fill, before turning off the taps, and getting in. I quickly let myself relax into the warm water, before washing the milk smell off of me, and stepping out once again. I empty the bath, after wrapping the towel around me again; the other way round so the milk smell doesn't rub off onto me.

I unlock the bathroom door, and step out into the hallway, before racing to my room. Once I get in there, I close my door and search around for some clothes to put on. I decide on a simple skirt and yet another tank top. I look at myself in the mirror; I don't look too bad now. The milk definitely helped. I'm not as red as I was before, though the sunglass mark is still there, faintly.

I put my hair up into a high ponytail, leaving a few strands down. I decide to not put any makeup on, just because I can't really be bothered to after today's events.

Once I am happy with my appearance, I wander downstairs and into the kitchen. Mimi and Rydel are sitting at the table, reading separate magazines. They both look up at me simultaneously, and smile when they realise it is me.

"You look much better!" Mimi beams, nodding in approval.

"Thank you for the whole milk thing," I smile, sitting down at the table with them.

"No problem honey," she replies, before turning back to her magazine.

"I'm sorry about earlier. We all kind of pressured you to go to the beach," Rydel apologises, sincerely.

"It's alright. Austin was right earlier, it was my fault. I didn't think," I tell her, smiling. She smiles back, before returning to her magazine once again.

I don't know why, but I suddenly feel more comfortable here after the whole sunburn incident. It was just the way that Mimi was so worried, and was so willing to help me. Maybe the milk helped in more ways than one.

I decide to go and write in my songbook/diary again, as there isn't really anything else to do. Once I get to my room, I grab it off of the bedside table, and begin writing on a fresh page.

_Dear Songbook/Diary,_

_Today has been eventful, to say the least. Firstly, I went to the beach for the first time in years! It was Mimi's way of getting us cousins to bond. I was reluctant at first, but Austin managed to get me on the sand. That way was basically by carrying me all the way there._

_Anyway, my instincts were right; the beach is terrible. You know why? Because, I got sunburn. I fell asleep, and woke up looking like a tomato. Of course everyone found it hilarious._

_When we got back, Mimi made me bathe in milk. I know, weird right? Well, it worked! The sting has definitely gone down, and the redness is disappearing, which is good._

_Anyways, I better go now._

_Love always,_

_Ally xx_

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**Tell me what you think!**

**Stay Rossome!**

**(1) I got this from ****_Hannah Montana_****; the episode where Jackson plays volleyball on the beach, and then comes back with a bad sunburn, and the only way to get rid of it was by bathing in milk. I don't know whether it actually works or not, but lets just pretend it does.**

**Review responses:**

**Laughing Raindrops; Austin isn't being welcoming to Ally because it wouldn't seem that realistic if they hit it off instantly. I want it to be like a kind of growing friendship thing.**

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**URxGORGE; Thank you! Your reviews are always so nice, but I don't always get to thank you for that! So, thank you:).**

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**WhatEverAfter6055; Don't worry, I will find time to update all of my stories:D**

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**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed/favourited/followed this story so far! If you have time, check out my other stories as well! The next chapter will be up soon!**


	3. The Less Exciting Adventures of Ally D

**Wow guys, it feels like so long since I have updated loads of my stories, especially this one! I'm so so so so sorry I haven't updated this one in a while! But, on a happier note, I actually managed to get on with the chapter! Can I get a 'woop woop!'? No... Okay...**

**A few of you have asked me whether Austin is Ally's cousin; I have mentioned several times in both chapters that he is, but Ally's aunt and uncle adopted him, so he isn't Ally's proper family really.**

**Since its been so long since I've updated, I am going to put your reviews in with the review responses, because you may have forgotten what you put. The responses are at the bottom.**

******Disclaimer: I don't own Austin & Ally**

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Chapter 3

The next day, I wake up feeling much more better than I did yesterday. I slowly climb from underneath the warm covers, and out into the cool air. I walk over to the mirror, and examine my sunburn. It isn't as bad as it was yesterday; the milk definitely helped.

I straighten out my pyjamas, flattening any creases, and make my way downstairs.

"Morning Ally! You're looking much better!" Mimi smiles, making Rocky, Riker, and Ryland all turn around simultaneously. Austin, Ratliff, and Rydel must still be in bed.

"Thank you. I feel much better as well!" I smile back, sitting down at the table, politely.

The boys are crunching through their toast, leaving crumbs everywhere. I kind of want to grab a napkin and wipe the crumbs up, but that would just seem pretty weird to them.

"So, have you got anything planned for today Ally?" Mike asks me, while flicking through his newspaper.

"Nope." I reply, popping the 'p'.

"Why don't you and Rydel go shopping?" Mimi suggests.

"If she wants to." I reply, shrugging.

"Rydel, get down here!" Mimi call upstairs.

"No it's fine, you don't have to wake her." I try to tell Mimi, but by the time I finish my sentence, Rydel is already making her way into the kitchen.

"What?" Rydel asks, tiredly.

"Ally was wondering whether you would like to go shopping with her today." Mimi smiles, gesturing towards me.

"Yeah! Awesome!" Rydel exclaims, suddenly full of life. I smile at her, as she races upstairs to get ready.

"I think you should go and get changed." Mimi states, chuckling at Rydel's sudden eagerness.

"Yeah." I reply, before walking upstairs to get changed.

Once I get upstairs, I take a quick shower before anyone else can use it, before changing into a pair of dark skinny jeans, and a pink top. I slip on some Vans **(1)**, before deciding to straighten my hair. Once I have done that, I apply a thin layer of lipgloss, before going downstairs.

"You ready?" Rydel asks me, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

"Yep." I reply, popping the 'p'.

She smiles at me, before we head out of the door, and into the car that Mimi lets a few of them drive sometimes. We both get in, and Rydel squeals when her favourite song comes on the radio.

She begins to sing along, while I just sit there laughing at her; amused by her quirky personality.

We talk and sing during the whole ride to the Miami shopping mall, and when we get there, Rydel parks up and we walk into the building.

* * *

After about 5 hours of non-stop shopping, we decide to sit down for a bite to eat, before heading home. It feels weird calling that place my home.

"So.." Rydel starts, while munching on a sandwich. "How are you liking it living with us so far?"

"It's cool," I smile, genuinely.

"You sure? After yesterday I would've thought that living with us was hell," Rydel jokes, making me chuckle.

"No, Mimi was a great help yesterday," I reply.

"Oh yeah, after the whole sunburn milk incident..." Rydel says, stifling a laugh.

I sigh, "Go ahead; you can laugh if you want to," I tell her, rolling my eyes.

"No, no, it's fine. It wasn't all that funny, the guys are just a bit immature," Rydel states, smiling.

"You can say that again."

A beat passes.

"Ooh, look at that guy over there," Rydel suddenly exclaims, looking over my shoulder. "He's totally checking you out!"

"What? No he isn't," I reply, turning around to see for myself, and sure enough, he is.

"Told you," I hear Rydel say from behind me.

When the guy sees me looking at him staring at me, he smiles sheepishly at me, waving awkwardly. I wave back, just to be polite, before turning back around.

"Ooh, he's coming over!" Rydel exclaims in a whisper, smiling.

"What? Bu-" I am cut off by a male voice from behind me.

"Hi, do you mind if I sit with you guys?"

I turn around, to see the guy from earlier staring down at me, smiling. The first thing I notice about him are his blue eyes and the way that they shine. They are sort of unique. And his hair; a dark brown with little lighter, natural highlights here and there.

"Uh, sure," I reply, smiling up at the tall stranger.

"Cool." And with that, he sits down in between me and Rydel.

"So, what's your name?" Rydel asks, leaning her elbow on the table, resting her chin on her hand.

"Jamie, how about you two pretty ladies?"

"I'm Rydel and this is Ally," Rydel answers, smiling flirtatiously at him. I know she is only doing the friendly type of flirting, but if I'm honest, seeing the way he looked at her when she smiled like that hurt a bit.

"Wow, Rydel is a unique name," Jamie responds, before turning to me. "And, Ally is very cute, just like you."

"You can talk!" Rydel blurts out, going red instantly.

He chuckles, "Huh?"

"Do you want to come to ours for dinner? Well, it's actually my house, but Ally is my cousin and she is staying there for the summer. Well, she is technically my cousin; I was adopted along with my brothers, but that's not important," Rydel rambles, clearly embarrassed.

"Uh Rydel, can I talk to you for a second please?" I question, not even waiting for an answer. I stand up and walk over to a potted plant a few metres away from the table.

"What is it?" she asks as she walks up to me.

"You can't just invite strangers to your house!" I exclaim in a whisper.

"I panicked! Plus, he isn't a stranger, he is Jamie. You never know, you and him really hit it off before."

"You're just saying that..."

"No I'm not. Look, maybe having Jamie around won't make your time in Miami so bad," Rydel states.

"What do you mean my time in Miami?" I ask, confused for a second. "Oh, you mean because I live in Australia," I reply, chuckling nervously.

"Yeah. Anyway, look at him; he is attractive, he likes you, and he is your age!"

"How do you know he's our age?" I query.

"Hey Jamie, how old are you?" Rydel shouts, causing me to blush in humiliation.

"16, you?" he shouts back, smiling.

"Oh it doesn't matter about me, Ally here is 16 too!" she answers, before turning to me. "Perfect!"

I roll my eyes, "Fine, he can come."

"Yay!" she squeals, dragging me by the hand towards our table. "So Jamie, would you like to come 'round ours for dinner?"

"Uh, sure," he replies, shrugging.

"Cool," Rydel says, smiling.

I smile at Jamie awkwardly, and he smiles back charmingly. Why do I have to be so... awkward?!

"Okay, let's go!" Rydel states, gesturing for me and Jamie to follow her.

* * *

"Who's this?" Mimi asks, gesturing towards Jamie.

"Oh, this is Jamie, we just met him and thought he was nice, so we invited him here for dinner!" Rydel states, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"So you invited a stranger here?" Mimi says, slowly.

"No, we invited a hot possible boyfriend for Ally," Rydel answers.

I gently slap Rydel on the arm, "Don't say that in front of him!"

Jamie chuckles, "It's cool."

"Okay," Mimi starts, looking at us with confusion, "I will go and get dinner ready. Do you like pizza Jamie?"

"Yeah, pizza's fine," he replies.

"Okay," she says, before walking off into the kitchen.

"Come on, let's go!" Rydel exclaims, grabbing Jamie by the hand and running up stairs to her room, me following slowly after. To be honest, Jamie seems more like Rydel's type to me; I don't see us having too much in common really.

When I get to Rydel's room, I can hear her and Jamie laughing from inside, which makes me want to go in there even less; I would just feel like the third wheel.

I swiftly run into my room on my tip-toes, making sure to not make the landing creak enough for either Rydel or Jamie to hear, and grab my songbook/diry along with a pen, and begin writing.

_Dear Songbook/Diary,_

_Well, today has been... eventful, I guess. Rydel went all matchmaker on me and this guy, Jamie - who may I say is practically a stranger. She decided to invite him 'round for dinner, with hope that she could get us two together. Yeah, right. It's blatantly obvious that she wants him for herself, not that I'm jealous or anything. No, really. I couldn't care less about being Jamie's girlfriend or whatever Rydel has planned, so I decided to leave them to themselves._

_So now, I sit in my room, writing my troubles away, as per usual. Don't get me wrong, I love splashing my emotions out onto a page as much as I love pickles, but I feel like I need a bit of excitement and adventure in my life. I mean, you hear all of these stories about teenage girls living the teenage dream; with the right guy, amazing friends, etc. I don't really have any of that..._

_*Sigh*... Okay, enough of this self-pity. I guess I better go._

_And that, was the less-exciting adventures of Ally D._

_Love always,_

_Ally xx_

* * *

**Okay, so I know this chapter has been long awaited by a few people, and I am sorry about that. Please forgive me, and review!:-)**

**Review Responses:**

**Awesomesauce325; Your review: ****Well remind to never invite ally to the Caribbean where I'm from cause she'll need to wear sunblock everyday and there's always a beach nearby XD I looovvvveeee the beach and swimming sometimes I wonder if I'm secretly mermaid... Hmmm but my biggest fer of all time is sharks... Kinda ironic right? Well I'm rambling now. I smiled throughout this chapter... Even when she was sunburt ahaha I instantly thought about the incident with Jackson when I read that milk part. Well austin and ally are making progress... They found something in common... MUSIC! Can't wait to see how those lessons go *waggles eyebrows* (gah I still can't do that) super stoked for the next chapter :D making you smile and laugh... Makes me smile too. It's contagious... Not like a flu... A good contagious okay I'm done now XD My response: Your reviews always make me laugh:-D Hopefully, if anyone else reads your review, that they laughed too!**

**KidloveAuslly (Guest); Your review: ****This story is great! I just wanna know how you get such great ideas for like 12 different stories! My response: Thank you! I get my ideas from other stories I've read, things that I watch in movies, and stuff like that!**

**Stay Rossome!**


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